Main Session 5

With 70 years of experience, helplines provide emotional support in crisis and promote emotional well-being, thanks to tens of thousands of trained volunteer listeners who strengthen the social fabric. 

This session will present the most inspiring experiences and projects of TES, highlighting their role in fostering human qualities, anticipating social distress, and offering positive, forward-looking perspectives in a rapidly changing world.

For more than 60 years, IFOTES member helplines have responded to the emotional needs of European citizens, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The information and data collected - through approximately 4 million phone calls annually, as well as 350,000 chats and emails - are representative of the emotional well-being of the population. These data illustrate the evolution of social well-being across the continent and provide valuable insights for predicting mental health trends. 

The study conducted by the Social Observatory of Télé-Accueil Brussels is based on testimonies from volunteer listeners and a theoretical analysis aimed at understanding why this volunteer commitment is so essential. Listening provided by volunteers offers a unique space for free expression, free from therapeutic injunctions or expectations of concrete outcomes. Trained and carefully supervised, these citizens embody genuine solidarity that helps free speech in the face of social crises, supports people through hardship, and combats isolation. Unlike a professional’s therapeutic approach, which focuses on diagnosis, structured follow-up, and long-term goals for change, volunteer listening values the present moment, unconditional acceptance, and the strengthening of the social fabric. The complementarity between listening provided by citizen volunteers and the professional support network is invaluable: the therapist guides toward deep transformation, while the volunteer offers immediate, citizen-based support.